Well, are we talking toys or giants? There's a big difference between repeatedly using the same toy-bree dstud who produces maybe 2 pups in a litter versus say, a dalmatian sire who's smallest litter is 8!

Thanks for the link, Ado, and thank you everyone for your very thoughtful responses.

Quote:

Originally Posted by DogstarAcademy

Well, are we talking toys or giants? There's a big difference between repeatedly using the same toy-bree dstud who produces maybe 2 pups in a litter versus say, a dalmatian sire who's smallest litter is 8!

The requirements for a dog that I own to be used at public stud are as follows:

Finished AKC Ch.
Titled in performance events
Has herding instinct and drive for herding (if not titled in herding) Keep in mind I live 2.5 hrs from the nearest herding instructor and I will not send my dogs out to a trianer/handler
Good temperament, proper for the breed w/ no dog aggression or reactivity
Fully health tested and cleared with a fully health tested pedigree

If all of this was met, I would consider using the dog at public stud. Any bitches he was bred to must pass all health tests and preferably be titled in conformation/performance. I would also like to evaluate the bitch's temperament. (This is a pet peeve of mine in my breed) Of course it's a no-brainer that I trust the owner to make good decisions and sell puppies on s/n contracts etc. I would not necessarily breed for a puppy back. If I think the dog is good enough to offer at public stud, then I would feel he has something that the breed, as a whole, can benefit from. If bred to a very nice bitch, or a line I might like to bring into my pedigrees, I may ask for a puppy back.

Also, keep in mind that my breed's gene pool is pretty small. If a stud is used 30 times, thats pretty much a monopoly on a whole generation. I would stud him out sparingly, and I would say no more than 15 litters throughout his lifetime. That is the high end though, realistically, it would probably be much lower.
I don't think its unreasonable (although probably unnecessary) that in some of the larger breeds some dogs have sire 30 litters or more.

Well, are we talking toys or giants? There's a big difference between repeatedly using the same toy-bree dstud who produces maybe 2 pups in a litter versus say, a dalmatian sire who's smallest litter is 8!

Maybe I'm wrong here but I didn't think litter size was determined by the stud. After all a stud has millions of sperm, its the female who determines how large a litter is by how many eggs she releases.

I would say around 15 to 20 litters during his lifetime would be enough. If he was collected it would depend on how many straws that we ended up with. Because first and formost with collection, I want access to them BEFORE anyone else does.

Yes, it's controlled by the bitches, but some dogs seem to consistantly produce larger litters than other, even in the same breed. There's a big difference, regardless, than a chihuahua siring 30 litters with two pups in each litter and a greyhound siring that same number with 9-11 puppies in each litter.